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Dang! So here I am in Winnipeg getting set up and you all fart off. Oh well, maybe I can have a few adventures to catch myself up to you all.

Yo, that's a good point! We're kinda leaving you hanging. We can definitely say that all the current PCs met up after the raid and before we scattered to the winds, exchanged business cards, etc. I just had liked the idea of Earth being off on their own and addressing their Torment for a while, especially as a Hermit, although I can dial it back and be more in contact with everybody in Winnipeg.

What's Basil all about? If we were sitting around the gaming table for session one, what should we know about him before we start?

Also, Haberdasher I'll put the ball in your court for what happened with Adonis and Erwin and the Frozen Pilgrim. Earth got mind-whammy'd and given an Aspiration to push Adonis to confront Erwin, and was also totally enchanted with the Pilgrim, so however that figures into it. I'd been picturing Earth excitedly telling the Pilgrim in person "I see you, I'm listening, just tell me what you want me to do" as a show of Faith in the Principle. We established already that Earth is super envious of how easily Adonis deals with humans, but they're also happy for his relationship and don't want to smash it up, so it could go all kinds of ways. Just clapping their claw on his shoulder while running for cover with a word about "your dude is an alchemist, he isn't like us, how did you even think this was gonna work" would be a good start.

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Basil's incredibly new to being a Promethean, but he's got skills to help him survive and join up with other Prometheans. He's incredibly soft-spoken and will begin holding a conversation with himself when something of interest comes to his mind. He's got a large book with him and he's seeking more information about Prometheans and he's got a bit of a flash on Earth. Something tells him there's more to Earth and he wants to know more about her.

For all the cerebral nature he's got going, he's also very skilled with improvised weapons and capable of outdoor survival, always seeming to know which way he is supposed to go, establish a shelter, and able to eat anything.

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Erwin stuck around in town just long enough to deal with the police. The official story is that he was working on a metal-organic framework in the lab when it caught fire. It helped that Adonis' "friend" on the force was amenable to making sure the story took root. Then, after brief farewells to his unofficial Throng, Adonis vanished with his alchemist boyfriend into the night.

They spent a few weeks on the road, driving across the Canadian prairies and holing up in dingy motel rooms that they never seemed to get charged for: a trick Adonis had learned in his long trek from Ontario to Winnipeg. They spent most of their time talking in hushed whispers, about the Principle, the Great Work, the Created, Pyros, and everything in between. Erwin had some familiarity with the principles of alchemy from his own explorations. But now Adonis was sharing everything he knew about true alchemy, the arcane science that could give life to lifeless tissue. He watched Erwin's eyes light up with wonder at the potential of Distillations, horror at the knowledge of Pandorans, and disgust as he realized the full extent of Amalgama's depravity.

Erwin kept an ear out for news of Amalgama, and when they finished their investigation, Adonis and Erwin decided it was safe to return. Amalgama had suffered a serious set-back in Winnipeg, and from what Erwin could deduce from rumors, upper management had decided that the cost of rebuilding was too great, at least for the time being. Erwin and Adonis slipped back into the city. Adonis enjoyed the companionship while he could, but he knew that it could not last. He had to move on. He had explained the Roles to Erwin, and had felt nothing but regret as Erwin's eyes filled with heartbroken understanding. Two weeks after returning to Winnipeg, Erwin told Adonis that he understood why he had to move on, and encouraged him to. They parted ways, Erwin promising to help Adonis in any way he could.

The Frozen Pilgrim had disappeared. When Adonis returned to Winnipeg, he heard rumors that she had fled north, towards Nunavut. He decided to follow her, damn the elements and Unborn, and try and find her. The news of her passing was everywhere- Created markings and scraps of paper left by passing pilgrims saying they had met a frozen Created in the area. Always two steps behind. Eventually, her tracks faded, and Adonis despaired in ever finding her, but then a traveling Extempore he met in Arviat told him of a frozen woman who had once been in Winnipeg, and had returned to that city a few weeks ago. Adonis turned back south, bound once more for the city of muddy waters.

Adonis has still not found the Frozen Pilgrim, but other disquieting news has reached his ears: that there has been an upswing in Pandoran activity in the city since the raid on Amalgama: it seems that the laboratory reached deep into the earth, and misbegotten creatures had survived the fire, only to crawl out onto the surface in the days and weeks that followed.

I want the Frozen Pilgrim to be relevant to Adonis' story for a bit longer, a figure he tries to find and make contact with for the time being. Assuming Companion is complete, he's probably going to try and complete the Leader role from Aurum now. So the tidbits he's learned are: Amalgama is licking their wounds and is leaving Winnipeg alone for the time being, the Frozen Pilgrim is back in town, and the city is now swarming with Pandorans more than ever.

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Wormwood alright, your timeskip is easiest to address so I'll start here first. These are all good things, and I really enjoy them. Mudbreaker is chasing the Aurora, right? No one has heard from her for a while. As far as they know, Mudbreaker is still up north. How did Mark 5 learn the Cathar's Path? Did he find an Athanor? Did Solomon teach him? Did the Scarlet Woman?

ArchonAres Well, you could always make an Athanor of some kind or other, but I get the feeling that isn't what you have in mind. I mean, it would still be classified as an Athanor, but I don't think any of the existing ones make sense for Scout and what he wants to do. Take a look at the Azothic Object Merit, for example. I would consider applying a Condition or Tilt a one-dot trait. However, this would cost Experiences or Vitriol, or both. Whether you make one, and what you do with it, is entirely up to you. Now, if what he makes answers Scout's big question on Ascetic, and requires some level of sacrifice, it would also count for fulfilling the Universal Milestone of Divisio, what makes you different than humans. Humans cannot make alchemical objects through sheer force of will. It's a pretty stark reminder that you are a walking alchemical laboratory.

In regards to the Concordance, you've pieced together enough clues from Highwinds' journal that you have managed to find a private personal blog of some kind from a member of the Concordance, and are currently corresponding with them. It appears as though this unknown Created spends a lot of time in the American Southwest around Arizona, and in Mexico, exploring the ruins of Mesoamerican civilizations.

Caius Wickersham fear not, all the protagonists are coming back together, and you might be better prepared than most. After all, you've been in the city this whole time, you have the lay of the land. A lot can (and did) change in a year. The Canada Summer Games were held in the city last summer. There was a riotous explosion of the city's culture. Art events were better attended than ever, local sports teams are doing well, Folklorama and the Fringe Festival were huge events, as always. A politically conservative government came into provincial power and threatened to obliterate healthcare and education. A noted First Nations activist, Wab Kenew, became the head of the local NDP, and then it came out that he has an old domestic violence charge and that's lingered like a black cloud over him. Valentine's Day 2017 a bus driver was murdered for asking a passenger to get off the bus so that the driver could go home, because it was nearly 1AM. Fentanyl swept the streets leaving to numerous pleading radio PSAs. Busy, busy year.

Haberdasher I really like your take, yes that absolutely fulfills Companion, because Erwin and Adonis had a fight over purely human things (Adonis lied to him) and not over the content of that interaction (that, you know, Adonis is an alchemical being). All the rumours are great, and I can see this going in extremely interesting directions, since I want to start introducing some of the other things that go bump in the night in Winnipeg. Pandorans on the loose cause problems for everyone.

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Basil will be taking the time to observe these actions, learning what he can from the unity the more positive elements provide and feeling the dread he experiences from those acts of selfishness he sees in humanity that disturbs him. Even the mutual selfishness of the bus driver and passenger (how much further did the guy need to go and was he able to go on his own?) gives him pause with humans. Looking into Kenew's past might be a nice distraction from hunting down Rambles and avoiding Pandorans.

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Arcanist
Definitly still chasing the Aurora.
Mark 5 was initiated by Solomon. After some in-depth talking, he stormed off, and tried going around in his fulfilled Role as Soldier for a day or two, but soon realized that he constantly found himself thinking about Earth's insightful advice, Solomon's words, Joshua's claims of a 'mission', his own abhorrent actions and guilt, and impurity. Villains, bad people, humans, Created, and impurity. What was the connection? He realized he needed to know.
Finally, he returned to Solomon, confided his guilty Torment experience in him, and was taught the Cathar's Path.
What he learned was confusing, strange, at odds with everything he'd stood for in places, but also weirdly fitting in some other places.
And so, he became a low-rank mook, helping low-class criminals with their low-profile deeds. The money he earned was not important - the trust of his partners in crime was. Their willingness to share secrets about things they did and regretted was the highest currency. Learning how they thought, maybe even why they acted like this, was his goal.
Taking part in their crimes was the only way he could think of getting this trust, because he had to realize that, yes, his body was strong, and he was resilient and stubborn, but his mind was weak. It put a significant dent into his 'Hero' attitude.

As to why Solomon taught him the Path, he had no idea, because as far as he could tell, he was neither a promising disciple nor a successful Cathar.

So, in comparison to last time, this is a more "broken" Mark: less proud, less strong, less focused, a bit aim- and directionless, less 'useful'.

I would like it if Isla said "Thanks" for being rescued, which would resolve one of Mark 5's aspirations: Save someone's life and receive gratitude for it.

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Arcanist Azothic object would be perfect for it, and an excellent spot to spend an xp. I was hoping to calcify an alembic or two before moving on, but it looks like I'll be well short of that as I move into quicksilver. Given his next role is Craftsman, I'd like to make it a tool of some sort. Maybe just hammer? Have it grant 9 again on his craft rolls?

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I'm thinking about how to translate it into this game as a rumor, but the Places of Interest section of Year Without a Summer is full of really cool stuff. I love that whole Era; even putting aside the Frankenstein stuff there's so much there to build a game around. Maybe something based on Der Popanz, ou's one of my favorite CofD characters just from the little snapshot presented. I wanna do a scavenger hunt for a vindictive agender puppet!

And so, he became a low-rank mook, helping low-class criminals with their low-profile deeds. The money he earned was not important - the trust of his partners in crime was. Their willingness to share secrets about things they did and regretted was the highest currency. Learning how they thought, maybe even why they acted like this, was his goal.
Taking part in their crimes was the only way he could think of getting this trust, because he had to realize that, yes, his body was strong, and he was resilient and stubborn, but his mind was weak. It put a significant dent into his 'Hero' attitude.

Say it ain't so, Hero! That's a gut punch to see him falling like that. I'm excited for this, I wanna see what he and Earth have to say to each other now. Maybe now that he's off his pedestal, they can talk about what really happened to that stolen Vitriol...

EDIT: other rumor ideas

a touring band is in town, they look like this, and they're a bunch of lowlife licks hiding in plain sight as "vampires" onstage

people were totally enthralled by a performance at the Fringe Festival that may have been a Changeling ritual

a Bound "boatman" who gives off very strong con-man vibes has supposedly found a way into the underworld via the Red

also deciding what to do about XP. I have enough to get to Azoth 4, and high Azoth was an original character goal, but I could also buy up Repute to 3 and boost Library, maybe get a Skill or Specialty (Drumming?) to reflect more mundane interests. I have exactly 2 Vitriol right now and can't decide if I want to calcify something from Metamorphosis or wait until I can boost Pilgrimage.

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Oh, I'd also like to spent 2 of Mark 5's 3 xp on getting Persuasion 1.
Because I think this is a fair reflection of what he'd have learned in this past year on his path (also, without at least that, he has basically zero chance at getting anyone to open up to him =D)

Caladriu Yeah, that would be cool =D And yes, I hope Mark 5 will be a very sympathetic char this chapter ^^

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actual content: I've been reading through the IC and recruit threads to get characters and original concepts back in my head, really psyched to jump back in now.

I can't wait for our throng to get to Arizona. I've been doodling ideas about Earth going to Sells, AZ to learn the O'odham language as a very Tammuz-y milestone. It would be a cool way to do the Companion Role, using Deception-Assimilation to create a false connection to their body's home community and getting a glimpse of what another life would have looked like. I like the Twilight Zone vibe of "oh yeah, good old Cousin Whatsername, she's been here...oh, bout as long as anybody can remember" as Wasteland and Disquiet slowly builds. Maybe even dealing with a protective local Awakened from Tucson, the only one who notices something is wrong.

another edit to avoid double posting: I'm spending 5 Experiences on Azoth 3>4, and 2 Vitriol to calcify Bestiae Facies. Earth has two shapes stored so far: a goose and a moose.

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No, but it's one I like for him moving forward from Ascetic, and it makes a really good transition point into that part of his life. I thought about going scientist first, but then we'd have to go back into Craftsman after this, which just didn't meet up really. He's finally made a thing, and realized why he's so different- now he needs to make things like humans do- though he does need a little help right now.

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I just jumped into the IC thread with an idea I'd had, but should we be posting that we're arriving at the Ramble or something? Or somebody can join Earth at the garden, something that gets PCs in the same place and talking.

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It's alright for everyone to be doing their own thing detailing how they got back to the city and what's up with them. I'd kind of prefer that, actually. Little bit of a prologue character to character, but if everyone is ready I can jump straight to the Ramble.